Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) Stock Price Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – Here’s What Happened

Hilltop Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HTH) shares passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $36.48 and traded as high as $38.18. Hilltop shares last traded at $37.91, with a volume of 217,592 shares traded.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on HTH shares. Weiss Ratings cut Hilltop from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Zacks Research raised Hilltop from a “strong sell” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Hilltop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Hilltop currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $37.50.

Hilltop Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $2.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.36 and a beta of 0.88. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $36.48.

Hilltop (NYSE:HTH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The financial services provider reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $300.51 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $304.87 million. Hilltop had a return on equity of 7.32% and a net margin of 10.13%.During the same period last year, the company earned $0.65 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Hilltop Holdings Inc. will post 2.33 earnings per share for the current year.

Hilltop Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th were given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 8th. Hilltop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hilltop

In related news, CAO Keith E. Bornemann sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.00, for a total transaction of $76,000.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 7,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $300,656. This trade represents a 20.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Rhodes R. Bobbitt sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.00, for a total value of $380,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 87,016 shares in the company, valued at $3,306,608. The trade was a 10.31% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 32,000 shares of company stock worth $1,206,000 over the last 90 days. 29.90% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hilltop

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HTH. Mangrove Partners IM LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hilltop in the 3rd quarter valued at about $987,000. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its stake in shares of Hilltop by 10.7% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 171,976 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,747,000 after purchasing an additional 16,683 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in shares of Hilltop by 156.7% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 81,675 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,772,000 after purchasing an additional 49,859 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP grew its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 16.9% in the 3rd quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 282,690 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $9,448,000 after acquiring an additional 40,902 shares in the last quarter. Finally, King Luther Capital Management Corp grew its holdings in shares of Hilltop by 18.2% in the 3rd quarter. King Luther Capital Management Corp now owns 153,149 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,118,000 after acquiring an additional 23,600 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.13% of the company’s stock.

Hilltop Company Profile

Hilltop Holdings, Inc (NYSE: HTH) is a Dallas, Texas–based financial holding company offering commercial banking, mortgage lending and capital markets services through its three primary subsidiaries: PlainsCapital Corporation, PrimeLending and HilltopSecurities. PlainsCapital provides deposit, lending and treasury management solutions to small and mid-sized businesses, professionals and individuals. PrimeLending specializes in home purchase and refinance loans, serving retail, wholesale and correspondent channels.